Darkness Within
by Wolf of the Sun
Summary: Devastating weather patterns and crop failures threaten to destroy Destingaard. Not to mention Kai's power is acting strange and her magic is dangerously erratic. Kai leaves her kingdom in search for answers only to discover something larger at work.
1. Chapter 1

**All right, here it goes. I apologize for potentially confusing you with my inadequacy. (whew, that's over). I have revamped the Darkness Within story (sequel to Wings of Fate) to a plot that I like better. I now feel like Kai is more in character. For anyone who read the original chapters...forget them. This one is going to be better.**

**Sorry if you think this intro chapter is long. It kind of all poured out before I realized how long it had actually gotten. I promise you will see Dissidia characters soon.**

**As always, any OOC person is my interpretation and not my intention. Please enjoy and review if you like!  
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Chapter 1

"Your Majesty! Please! You must stay with us!"

I barely registered the voice as another wave of excruciating pain rippled through my body. It was as if the fires of hell were coursing through my veins. I breathed deeply and wildly trying to catch my breath but it was getting more painful every second. The world, which was already a haze of gray, took a red tinge as I squeezed my eyes shut. I don't think I could stand it any longer.

"_Hush child_," a voice rang through my head. A sudden sense of stillness enveloped my conscious. My body was still in pain, but my mind was crystal clear.

"_You will die if I do not aid you. However, this aid comes at a price."_

"Price?" I answered with my thoughts. "You think I care about a price? If I don't survive, then my people will die! I can't let my weakness become this kingdom's downfall!"

"_I will heal you but know this, the challenges that await you come the future are of your own making. This decision will give you great suffering, but if you can overcome the ordeals your reward will be even greater._"

"Heal me!"

A sudden flash of pain beyond all measure rocked my body to its core before my mind darkened into blissful nothingness.

"I believe you are fully recovered, Majesty," Tassilo, the royal doctor, said with a smile.

I smiled back sarcastically and pulled my long sleeve, cotton tunic back on. It was no easy task convincing him that an examination was much easier if I didn't have twenty thousand layers of clothing on. It's been two years since I was crowned queen, but it was hard getting used to the medieval idea of modesty. The people of the court still hated that I wore breeches instead of dresses.

"I could have told you that weeks ago, Tassilo."

A sudden, devastating illness struck the kingdom a few months ago. Only a handful of people died, but I seemed to have caught an especially voracious strain of it. Within a day of catching it, my temperature rose to dangerous levels and my organs started to shut down. I thought for sure I was going to die, but for some reason I recovered as quickly as I got sick. I know I heard a strange voice at one point during my illness, but every time I try to remember the memory slips through my fingers. It really is quite frustrating. A knock at the door sounded before Aidric poked his head into the room.

"Is Her Majesty done with her examination?" He asked in that haughty tone of his.

"You know," I replied. "This would be very awkward if I was still undressed. Maybe you should wait for a reply before entering."

His cheeks tinged a light shade of pink as he started to stutter an apology.

"Please ignore Her Majesty, Aidric," Tassilo interjected. "She is just annoyed that I kept her on bed rest for so long."

"Damn straight! I was perfectly fine until I almost died of boredom." I had to admit that Tassilo was one of my favorite people in the castle. He didn't treat me like a kid. I pulled on my violet vest and laced it up the front with silver laces. Next, I shoved my feet into my black, calf-high riding boots and closed them up the side with silver clasps.

"Your Majesty is requested in the council room," Aidric said, seemingly recovered from his earlier embarrassment.

"Sure thing," I replied, grabbing a violet ribbon from the side table and tying my hair back. I let it grow out to a little above shoulder length. The bangs in front were still mostly short but framed my face nicely. I smiled inwardly as I felt the chocobo feather that Bartz gave me in my hair. I always kept it tied to the ribbon so it was always with me.

"A queen never says 'sure thing,'" Aidric scolded as I followed him out the door.

"You mean to say the previous queens never said sure thing. This queen grew up in a little different setting."

"The place in which you grew up sounds very improper. I would never wish to visit it."

"_Luckily you don't have to seeing as though I don't know how to go back."_ I thought. I truly wished I could go back to see Trè, Thane, and Zak. I missed my instruments, I missed my relaxed life, but most importantly I missed them. If I had a chance to go back for good, I'm not sure if I would stay in Destingaard. Some days being queen was just too much.

"Your Majesty?" Aidric inquired.

"Huh?"

"You're staring at the door."

I blinked and noticed that indeed I was staring at the door to the council room. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even notice where I was going. Before Aidric could scold me for being absentminded, I pushed open the doors and strode into the room. A dozen or so heads swiveled to meet me. The people in the room ranged from generals to scholars to landlords of the surrounding areas and were here for the weekly council meeting I arranged. I sat down in the elegantly carved wooden throne at the head of the table and looked to those around me.

"All right, gentlemen, what is the season outside today?"

"Spring, Your Majesty," General Gladwin responded.

"Yesterday was summer correct?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

I looked from Gladwin to my head scholar, Masci. "Have you discovered any pattern to our erratic season changes?"

"Not yet, Majesty. There seems to be no indication of why this is happening or what will happen next."

I sighed and clasped my hands together in thought. Six months after being crowned Queen of Destingaard the weather started to change. At first the temperatures were either higher or lower than normal for the season, but over time the seasons themselves started to change. Summer passed in a month while winter lasted for six. Recently, the swings in temperature were so dramatic that it could be -10 degrees in the morning and 90 degrees by noon. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for them or how to predict them. The crops began to fail with the change in temperature and the kingdom was experiencing a food shortage. I turned to one of the landlords.

"How are the people outside of the main village?"

"It is difficult, Your Majesty. There is little food and even scavenging has become less fruitful. The natural roots and berries found in the forests have been affected and the trees are producing less. Our wheat and potato crops have failed yet again. Many people are on the verge of starvation."

I nodded and turned to Aidric. "How are our food supplies in the castle?"

"Even with the shortages in the surrounding villages the castles supplies are abundent. We have enough here to supply the castle for months."

"Good," I replied, leaning back in my chair. "Take half of our supplies and distribute them to the neediest of villages."

"What?" Everyone in the room exclaimed at once.

"If the people in the kingdom die because we at the castle horde our food, then ruling means nothing. If my people cannot eat, then neither will I."

"Majesty!" Aidric shouted. "I know you care of your people, but this is madness! How can you run a kingdom if you do not care for yourself?"

"I said distribute some of the food. There will be plenty left if we consume less as well."

"Your insane!" Terric, another of my generals, exclaimed. "Those at the court, who protect the people of the kingdom, are more important that those peasants who work the farms."

I silenced him with a cutting glare. "It is that kind of attitude that leads to the ruin of a kingdom. I will not go so far as to say that all men are equal in this society, but all should be treated with respect. If we have no farmers then we have no food. To make a chain strong, all the links must be strong as well. The same applies for the hierarchy in a kingdom. You could stand to lose some weight as well."

Terric glanced at his bulging belly and snorted. "I am the best strategist we have. If not for my position, we would fall under enemy attack quickly."

I leaned forward and used a little power to make the room colder. "You would be easy to replace, general. Please remember that you are expendable."

Terric's face turned red as he stuttered a string of senseless talk. The room warmed again as I leaned back.

"Everyone, please do your best to keep spirits high in the villages as we work to solve this problem. If we work hard, something good is bound to come from it."

With that closing statement, I rose as everyone bowed their heads towards me. Leaving the room, I walked down the hall and rounded a few corners before collapsing on the floor.

"Shit," I murmured. "I hate this."

"It is no surprise," Masci said, rounding the corner and standing in front of me.

I looked up with the eyes of a frightened child. His smile disappeared as was replaced with a wrinkled brow. He helped me to my feet and I swung around and smashed the wall with my foot. Tiny bits of stone flew in all directions as a small indentation formed in the wall.

"I can see that something more is bothering you."

I looked to the old scholar with sadness and fire in my eyes.

"I hate it! I hate the fact that the kingdom is suffering. I hate the fact that I have to act Queen. I hate the fact that I wear a mask in the presence of everyone else. That's not who I am. I hate the fact that I still can't control this power I didn't even ask for. I hate everything!"

Masci gently pulled me back from the wall so I wouldn't hit it again. "May I speak bluntly, Majesty?"

"Go ahead."

"You're acting like a petulant child."

I balked at his statement and swung around to meet his gaze.

"You hate this, you hate that. You can hate it all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that it is still happening. It is still your responsibility whether you asked for it or not."

"I know that, dammit!" I yelled, energy sparking in the air. "I know my responsibilities! I know what I have to do! I know!"

"You know, but do you accept?"

"What?"

"You have ruled for two years, but have you wholeheartedly accepted the responsibilities? You go through the motions, but are you willing to risk everything for your people? Do you accept it?"

I paused. "I don't know if I can accept it. I'm royalty by blood but commoner by mind."

Masci clasped my shoulder. "Take your time; however long it takes to truly accept your responsibilities as Queen. It'll get better."

"Sure it will," I replied, clasping his hand in return before turning and walking away. I wasn't so sure it would. I wandered the halls avoiding everyone and finally ended up in the armory where my instructor, Serrin, sat polishing a sword.

"Your Majesty," he said, nodding his head.

"You've been kicking the crap out of me for years. I suppose you wouldn't consider calling me Kai?"

"No can do, Majesty. I know my place."

I snorted and crossed my arms.

"I can see something is troubling you. Do you wish to train?"

I walked over to the wall and pulled down my weapon. Two years ago, Serrin took one look at that saber I was fighting with and promptly gave me a new weapon. 'Clunky and heavy. Not the proper weapon for a lady such as yourself.' Instead, he gave me a weapon that more suited my elemental and feminine nature. It was a staff about 5 feet tall that broke into three even pieces. Each piece detached fully and was made of a sturdy alloy material that easily channeled elemental energy through it. It was a versatile weapon that was light, quick, and could be transformed into almost any weapon I wanted.

I grinned, twirling the weapon around my fingers. "I wish to stomp you beneath my boot."

"You can try."

"You…suck," I panted, kneeling on one knee and leaning on my staff.

"Now, Majesty, watch that language," Serrin replied, actually out of breath.

I staggered to my feet and held up my hand in surrender.

"You win, again."

Serrin bowed his head. "It is an honor to fight you, as always."

"It's your honor to kick my ass, as always."

"I see you are in a better mood."

"Yes, much better."

Serrin frowned as he looked past me and I turned around to find Aidric rushing across the training fields. I groaned as he ran up to me with an angry look.

"Your Majesty! You disappeared after the meeting and here I find you in the cold training!"

"It's not that cold out here." Sure, it was 40o colder than yesterday but still. Details.

"You have more important things to do than train!"

"And you have more important things to do than bother me! How is the shipment of the food going?"

Aidric's face turned a deep red.

"Her Majesty is sending royal food to the surrounding villages?" Serrin inquired.

"Food is food. There's nothing royal about it."

"I'm very proud of Her Majesty."

"Thank you, Serrin. Come, Aidric. Since you're so keen on following me, you can show me the progress you've made."

I led Aidric across the training field and through a side door into the corridors of the castle. He followed quietly, but I could feel his walking mass of tension behind me. We arrived at the kitchen and saw a flurry of activity. Men were running around carting bags of wheat and corn. I peeked into the pantry to see most of the good food being left behind. Anger rising, I stuck my fingers in my mouth and blew a shrill whistle that brought the kitchen to a screeching halt.

"Aidric," I said, pointing to the pantry. "What do I see here?"

"Food, Your Majesty."

"What kind?"

"Dried fruits, salted meats, and vegetables."

"Why aren't these things going also?"

"Um, well."

I sighed and ordered some of the wheat and corn to be put back and replaced with the good stuff. A few hours later, the wagons were packed and ready to be moved to the surrounding villages. I gave strict orders to the drivers to make sure every village got proportionally the same food and that each got some meat. One could not live on bread alone. If I left the planning to Aidric, he sure would make them try. Dusting off my hands, I went inside and wandered into the kitchen again. The cooks all stood at their stations cooking away like half their food wasn't suddenly gone.

"What sort of delicious morsels are you preparing today?" I inquired, peeking over the head-chef's shoulder.

"Barley soup and cold-cuts," he replied, nudging me out of the way.

"Done yet?"

"Are you hungry?"

I nodded and followed him as he scooped me up a bowl of soup. I stood in the corner and downed the soup quickly. After bolting some cuts of meat, I thanked the cooks and grabbed a small loaf of bread. Munching on the loaf, I walked around and noticed a servant lighting candles as the sun dipped below the horizon. I yawned and handed the rest of my unfinished bread to the wide-eyed servant who bowed profusely before running off. A year ago I would have yelled at him for acting so formal, but now I just went with it. I began down the hall again when a voice rang through the halls.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! I know you're here! We need to go over your behavior this afternoon!" Aidric yelled, his shoes clicking on the polished stone floor.

"Crap," I mumbled, running down the hall. He was always admonishing me on my improper behavior. I've gotten better over the years, but nothing up to his Mt. Everest standards. Every time I try to assert my authority over him and politely tell him to bugger off, he gets more persistent. I practically flew through the hallways and ran into my room barely registering the guard outside my door.

"You don't need to stand there all day," I commented, poking my head out the door. "Especially when I'm not around. Go train or something."

"Sorry, Your Majesty. Aidric's orders. A guard outside your door at all times to protect you while you sleep."

"That pompous moron," I spat, noticing the guard failing to hide a smile. "If he inquires, I'm not here."

"Yes, ma'am."

I shut the doors behind me and walked to the large oak desk in front of my window. The wild rose Firion gave me sat in a crystal vase at the corner of the desk. I tried to cultivate the rose and spread its beauty throughout my kingdom, but the erratic change in seasons led to the failure of the flowers. Firion's everlasting rose was the only one left. I absentmindedly stroked the petals and gazed out the window. It was summer weather and any snow that fell during the afternoon melted away to form muddy puddles. I yawned and began disrobing, tossing my clothes all over the floor. Pulling on an extra long shirt, I crawled into bed and snuggled under the covers. Tomorrow was another day.

A knock sounded at my door much too early for my liking.

"Your Majesty! I must urgently speak with you," I heard Masci yell through the doors. "Scouts from the outer villages have found something most interesting!"

"Gimme a sec!" I yelled back, jumping out of bed and throwing open the doors to my wardrobe. Ignoring all the fancy, expensive dresses, I grabbed a fresh pair of breeches and pulled them on. A close fitting long sleeve, black tunic followed that belted with a leather belt embellished with jewels and designs. I shoved my feet into my boots and tied my hair back as I opened the door.

"What's up?"

Masci motioned for me to follow and I walked with him down to the council room. Assembled were my generals, scholars, and one frightened looking boy. As I entered and everyone stood to greet me, the boy's eyes grew to the size of saucers and he bowed so low I thought he was going to fall over.

"Sit down before you fall down, kid," I said, sitting at the head of the table. Everyone sat down with me.

"Your Majesty," General Gladwin started. "This boy is from the furthest village of Destingaard and has observed something most unusual."

"Is that so? Your name?"

"T-Toby," the boy stuttered. He suddenly lurched and bowed his head. "I-I m-mean Toby, Y-Your Majesty."

"Relax, Toby. I'm not going to eat you or anything."

He looked up at me and I visibly breathed in and out slowly to make my point. He relaxed a bit and I smiled which turned his face cherry red.

"What did you see that was so interesting?" I questioned.

"Well, Your Majesty, I was gathering roots at the edge of the forest when a mighty gale suddenly rushed through the trees. I hid in the bushes until the wind stopped and when I emerged there was a giant gateway only a little way from where I was gathering roots. I've never seen anything like it!"

"Hmm. You say it just appeared out of nowhere?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Did you try to open it?"

The boy averted his gaze for a few seconds before replying. "Yes. I couldn't open it. There are no handles on the doors and I couldn't push it open either."

"It's probably good that it didn't open for you," I replied, leaning my elbows on the table. "We have no idea what's on the other side."

"Majesty," Gladwin interjected. "The sudden appearance of a door is most troubling. What do you suppose it could mean?"

"Dunno. But if I had to venture a guess, it's probably a door to another world."

"What?"

"It's like how the Warriors of Light arrived here a few years back. I know there are many worlds but I never realized how they could be interconnected. That door probably has something to do with it."

"But what does its arrival here mean?" Terric questioned.

"What indeed." I laced my fingers together in thought. Everyone jumped as I suddenly slammed my hands on the table. "I'm going to see this gate for myself."

"What!" Everyone in the room exclaimed at once.

Terric's face was turning a brilliant shade of maroon as he spoke through clenched teeth. "May I remind Your Majesty that you are the Queen of Destingaard? It isn't proper for you to go gallivanting across the kingdom to go look at a gate! Let my men handle this task."

"It wasn't coincidence that this gate suddenly appeared. I figure that whatever is beyond that gate holds answers to what is happening in this kingdom. It is my responsibility as Queen to go and find these answers."

"That's absurd! Who will run the kingdom?"

"Joint ruling by my most trusted general Gladwin and brightest scholar Masci. They have more experience and knowledge between the two of them than anything I could offer at this moment."

"Are you serious, Majesty?" Masci inquired, peering at her with a questioning gaze. "Is this a truly wise decision?"

"Wise or not, I feel as though this is the correct decision. I feel as though solving the mystery of our erratic weather is something that I must do. If it has anything to do with magic, then I'm probably the only one who can fix it."

"Your point is clear even if I don't completely agree with it," Gladwin commented, pushing back his chair and standing. "I put faith in our Queen. If she says that she will go to observe this gate, then I must put my faith in her."

One by one, the scholars and generals all reluctantly agreed to support my decision. I suppressed a sigh of relief. It didn't really matter if they agreed or not; I was going to investigate that gate whether they liked it or not but it was easier if people agreed. Besides, something about a gate popping up out of nowhere made me uneasy. There was something more going on here than meets the eye and a sense of urgency dawned upon me.

"I'd like to leave early this afternoon," I commented, tapping the table with my fingertip. "Have preparations for my departure ready by then."

"That is too soon, Your Majesty!" Terric shouted.

"I grow tired of your outbursts!"

Terric dropped his gaze and said no more.

"I am only placing as much urgency on my departure as I feel is necessary. And I do not want an entire army escorting me there! A few guards plus this boy will be sufficient."

The people in the room realized it was pointless to argue with me and humbly accepted my conditions. I signaled Gladwin and Masci over as the council was dismissed and started with the preparations. I outlined how the kingdom was to be run in my stead and who was in charge of what. I especially expressed my desire for their teamwork as that would be the best way to make fruitful decisions.

As soon as I was done talking with them, I headed back to my room to get ready for the journey. I took a short bath in the newly designed bathroom. I set out to slightly modernize the kingdom and added plumbing so the town was much more sanitary. After draining the tub, I threw on a robe and walked the short distance to my chambers. The guard outside my room flushed slightly and turned his head as I approached.

"It's been years since I started doing this," I commented, entering my room. "I'm surprised you're still blushing."

"I beg Your Majesty's pardon, but it is indecent to walk around in a robe as such."

"The fact that you can speak your mind to me means that your ideas of what is proper are already changing. I think that you will soon grow accustom to this part as well."

I left the guard deep in thought and closed the doors behind me. Felicia, my favorite lady-in-waiting, was standing at my wardrobe picking through the clothes. She was much more accepting of my strange behavior than most others in the castle.

"If you think I'm wearing a dress on this escapade, you are dead wrong," I said, walking over to stand by her.

"I'd never think that, Majesty."

"Kai."

"Highness."

"Try again."

"My Lady."

"Close enough," I sighed, disrobing and putting on my minimal undergarments. I could never get her to call me by my first name, but the fact that she was dumbing down the titles meant she was trying.

"Serrin has found suitable attire for your journey."

"Really now?" I put my breeches and boots back on. Felicia then helped me into a bowman's tunic. It was forest green and slightly modified from a traditional one. I first put on a close fitting black sleeveless shirt. The tunic went over that. The sleeves stopped just above the elbow and the bottom reached down to mid-thigh. It was belted by a simple leather belt. The tunic was tailored to a womanly shape and left only a little room. Much better from the baggy things most of the men wore. There was a hood used to help shield my face and blend into the bushes.

Two small leather hoops were sown into the top right shoulder and left hip. These would hold my staff-like weapon to my back. Felicia attached a small pouch filled with medical supplies and herbs to my belt. I slipped a small potion in there as well. My healing magic left much to be desired. Finally, Felicia helped strap on my leather vambraces. They were two pieces of boiled leather that went on the top and bottom of my forearm. They were laced together along the sides so I could adjust the tightness. This helped to protect my arms from blows and when my magic sometimes recoiled.

"Wonderful," Felicia said. "Now I can barely recognize you as our Queen."

"Ha ha," I replied, tying my hair back once more. I had this sneaky suspicion that she didn't approve of my traveling cloths.

"In any account, be careful and come back safely."

I stared at her and broke out into a smile. "Of course I'll come back safely. I'll also be back with an answer to our problems."

I strode out of my chambers and down to the entrance hall. The castle was all in a flurry with the preparations and I had to sidestep many a busy servant to avoid being run over. Gladwin and Masci spotted me just before I could get outside.

"Majesty," Gladwin began. "The preparations for your departure are ready. Accompanying you will be two of our greatest soldiers as well as that boy. If you are ready, they wait in the stables."

I nodded and walked outside and to the right to where the royal stables held out multitude of chocobos. The weather today was mid-fall and was actually quite pleasant. Two men and a boy stood with their chocobos waiting for me.

"Serrin," I exclaimed, cracking a smile. He saluted me with a smile of his own. I turned to the other man waiting for an introduction.

"Mage Dorrian," he announced with a slight bow. He was tall and lean with traditional mage attire. He wore dark blue robes with calf-high black boots and a wide brimmed brown mage hat. Unlike some of the mages, his hat only obscured a small bit of his face. Toby was looking around with utter amazement at the action around him. His legs were shaking ever so slightly.

"No need to be nervous, Toby," I commented, walking over to my chocobo and adjusting the saddle. She affectionately pecked at my shoulder and I stroked her beak.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he replied, placing his hands on the sides of his legs to steady them. Serrin handed me my battle staff and I placed in in the hoops along my back. Serrin, Dorrian, and I mounted our chocobos as Toby and waited. He had no chocobo. Another soldier lifted the boy and put him at Dorrian's back.

"Too young to ride," Dorrian commented. "His short legs can't reach the stirrups."

I smiled as Toby scowled and blushed. He hid his face in the folds of Dorrian's robes.

"I trust you to take care of the kingdom while I am gone," I told Gladwin and Masci. They bowed low and responded appropriately.

With a final wave to all those who were watching, I turned my chocobo towards the front gates and headed down the road. As we trotted through the town, people started to gather around us. I waved to them as I passed. Most everyone bowed back and uttered comments ranging from good day to good luck. It was rather spooky how fast information spread in this town. It reminded me a bit of high school.

As we rode out of the capital, a man cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Good luck, Queen Kailiana de Destingaard! May the spirits of our great kingdom watch over you on your journey!"

A tremendous roar sounded after his comment as the people cheered me. I reigned in my chocobo and turned to face them.

"Have no worry! I will be back soon with an answer to our mysteries. Faith and patience to you all!"

I whirled my chocobo around and kicked her into a run. Serrin and Dorrian closely followed as we dashed madly down the road and away from the town. After about a mile, I slowed my chocobo to a walk and breathed out.

"I'm still amazed at how you can connect to your people, Majesty," Serrin commented, riding slightly ahead of me.

"You and me both."

The ride was quiet and rather dull. Before I knew it, hours had passed and we were leaving the fields surrounding Castle Destingaard and entering the distant Wyvern Forest. Yes, wyverns did live in Wyvern Forest. We loosened our grip on the reigns and let the chocobos pick the easiest route through the forest. Luckily, going through the middle of the forest was a shortcut to Toby's village. It would take several more days if we went around. However, it was riskier cutting through the forest because many vicious beasts lived in it. I began to whistle a little tune to pass the time and fill the void of silence that hung around our band like an odor.

"How long will it take us to reach the other side of the forest?" I inquired.

"A couple days if we don't run into trouble," Serrin responded, his eyes constantly scanning the forest for danger. "Haste makes waste, Majesty. It is better to be careful than run into an animal by mistake."

"Your logic is sound as always, Serrin."

The forest got darker as the sun slipped below the trees. As the light got weaker, a sudden feeling of unease draped across my mind. It didn't feel as though we were being watched, but it didn't feel like we were alone either. When I expressed my concerns to Serrin, he too began to look around.

"There are many animals in the forest, Your Majesty," Toby said, looking at me. "Of course we aren't alone."

"I'm aware of that, Toby. This is different."

We came to a halt as the leaves swayed in an unnatural pattern. There was no wind today. Serrin and Dorrian reared their chocobos in close and circled me as a growl echoed through the forest. It sounded like a waterfall cascading into a smooth river.

"Wyrvens," Dorrian whispered, drawing his staff from behind his back. Serrin quietly unsheathed his long sword from the scabbard at his side and I removed the staff from my back. A sudden rush of wind rustled the trees as a dozen wyrvens swooped down around us. They were two legged lizards with leathery wings and long necks that tapered to a triangular shaped head. Their shiny scales were maroon and short, jagged spikes lined their backs from head to tail. The little wyrvens were agile enough to weave between the trees while the larger ones circled over head. Their yellow eyes were keen and too intelligent for a dumb animal. We all watched as they circled around us without getting too close.

"What are they waiting for?" I whispered to Serrin.

"I don't know. Usually they attack quickly so they don't have to chase their prey."

I feeling niggled at the back of my brain. It tingled and made it difficult to concentrate fully on the wyrvens.

"_Behind you!"_ A voice shouted. I whipped my head around to see Toby but his appearance was drastically changed. His teeth were long and jagged and his fingernails had grown into claws. Most frightening were the yellow eyes that replaced the blue ones he once had. The eyes of a wyrven. I whirled my staff to knock him off the chocobo, but he jumped before I could hit him. On the way up, he stuck his claws in Dorrian's back and left a long trail of dragging wounds from his lower back to his shoulders.

Dorrian screamed and fell off his chocobo as the giant bird reared in fright. Toby laughed as he hung in midair. Wings suddenly sprouted from his arm sockets and a tail protruded behind him. With one last laugh, he seemed to burst apart and a wyrven replaced him. This lizard was sickly shade of green like a poisonous swamp. Four long fingerlike projections protruded from the tips of his wings and moved like spiders. I jumped off my chocobo and knelt beside Dorrian.

"Don't touch him!" Serrin yelled, also getting off his bird. "His wounds are filled with poison from the wyrven's nails. If you touch him you could die."

"I'm not going to let Dorrian die because of me!"

"Ever the noble Queen!" The wyrven chuckled. His voice came out as a rasp like sandpaper being rubbed together. I knelt there in astonishment. The wyrven talked!

"Careful, Majesty," Serrin spoke, his calm voice portraying nothing of the situation. "That is a Veneficum Wyrven. A lizard who ate many mages and absorbed their power and knowledge. He is the leader of this wyrven clan."

"Quite so, Warrior Serrin," the Veneficum Wyrven laughed. "You humans have always believed us wyrvens to be dumb animals who live off of instinct. How foolish. I have shared my knowledge with my fellow clan and daresay we are smarter than you now. How else would we have been able to lure the Queen of your country here?"

As the wyrven was talking, I grabbed the potion from the pouch at my belt and poured it all over Dorrian's back. The wound quickly closed and Dorrian's eyes fluttered open. His breathing went from sharp gasps to steady intake. I ducked as a small wyrven screeched and darted for my head. Dorrian grabbed my shoulder and slammed me into the ground, crouching above me with his staff held high. Serrin dodged a wyrven of his own and stood at Dorrian's back.

"Flare!" Dorrian yelled, a blinding red light projecting from the top of his staff. High pitched screams echoed from the area as the air condensed and was sent out in a fiery blast. I felt someone pull me up by the arm and lead me at a run trailing the flare spell. When I could see again, I noted that Serrin was pulling me but Dorrian was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Dorrian?" I yelled, trying my hardest to keep up with Serrin's rapid pace.

"He's back fighting the Veneficum Wyrven." He gripped my hand tighter. "You are not going back to help him. This is a dangerous situation. Dorrian and my first priority is your safety. That mage can take care of himself."

"You said that wyrven had killed lots of mages!" I protested. "I can't have Dorrian die to protect me!"

Serrin's hand crushed against mine. "That's exactly what he is willing to do if it means protecting you. Remember that you are the Queen of Destingaard. You have a responsibility to live."

Tears of frustration gathered at the corners of my eyes as we outran the confused wyrven clan. We angled to the right and suddenly ran out of the forest to be confronted with a vertical cliff wall. I looked back to see the larger wyrvens flying at break-neck speed toward us. With a jerk, Serrin pulled me toward the left and suddenly halted. A large gate 10 feet high was set in the rock. It was a square gate with a pair of doors rounded at the top. It was inlaid with symbols and figures carved around the edges. There were no handles to speak of.

"That wyrven wasn't lying about the gate!" I exclaimed, pulling away from Serrin to examine the doors.

"Majesty!" Serrin yelled. I turned around to see the wyrvens practically on top of us.

"Aeroga!" I chanted, holding my staff up and sending the magic through the tip of the weapon. A pale green gust of wind enveloped the area and sent the flying lizards in all directions. The magic controlling the wind suddenly escaped my grasp, lifted me, and slammed me into stone cliff. I cursed and struggled to my feet.

"Why did that happen again?" I whispered to myself, staggering to stand in front of the gateway. I gently put a hand on the cool stone and felt a surge of energy pulse from my body into the rock. The gates glowed a pale red and cracked open.

"Majesy!" Serrin screamed as a tendril of light escaped the gate and wrapped its way around my waist. With a jerk, it pulled me through the crack in the gate right before the doors slammed shut behind me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about the long waiting period between chapters. School coupled with work and normal life seem to keep me busier than I want. Some days I barely have time to sleep much less write. November always seems to be the busy month at school. Especially when your Biochemistry professor gives you an experiment that is impossible to finish within the 3 hour a week lab slot. I've been spending 10+ hours in lab for the last three weeks trying to finish it. Thankfully all that's left is the paper! (The freakishly long paper). Hopefully that changes during winter break! Please enjoy the chapter and Happy Thanksgiving! Now get out there and OD on turkey!**

Chapter 2

The tendril of light released me as soon as the doors to the gate closed. I flew through the air in a vortex of pale red light. Simmers of rainbow color darted through the air like hummingbirds and appeared as quickly as they disappeared. I didn't dare try to get out of the vortex for fear of what might happen to me or where I might land. Instead, I just gripped my staff, angled my body forward, and flew even faster through the vortex.

With a slight pressure increase and a popping noise, my body slowed dramatically and the vortex pushed me through what felt like an inch thick layer of jelly. I easily landed on my feet and sighed in relief. The world I was in looked much different from anything I've seen before. The ground was dry, pale dirt with ashen rock peeking through the dust. Patches of drab, knee-high grass swayed with the breeze like pressed weeds. Sparkling sapphire water gently lapped at the shore across the landscape. It seemed as though the world was once bone dry and water slowly crept over it. Where the ground was low, there was only a narrow strip of dirt to connect one large area of earth to another. It almost felt as though this world was a series of islands connected by small strips of land.

Arching gateways dotted the land like lone symbols. I turned and noticed the gateway I just came out of. It was an 8 foot high stone arch with nothing blocking the middle. No doors, no pale red light, nothing. Etched in the stone at the top of the arch was a pair of outstretched wings circled by roses; the symbol of my kingdom. I walked through the arch slowly and halted as I came to the edge of the land. The lapping water left bits of iridescent foam on the earth that shimmered like quartz.

I looked a bit further to see towering hills of glistening crystal weave its way through the water and around the land like luminous snakes. They created channels and rivers in the water and formed a slightly menacing barrier between the land and the ocean beyond. Walking back the way I came, I noticed that the Destingaard Gate was at the end of a peninsula which connected to a much larger piece of land. Not knowing what else to do, I started to cautiously walk away from the gate towards the open land.

As I walked, I looked towards the sky. Clouds swirled and danced like nervous birds. The colors that streamed between the clouds ranged from midnight blue, to violet, to magma red. Each color twirled around each other in a force that reminded me of an impending storm. Everything from the land to the sea to the sky was very unsettling. I shivered despite myself and walked on, fists clenched and staff at my back.

I noted snow-capped mountains in the background with hills and cliffs intermingled with crumbling castle-like structures. Arched gateways popped out of the land with no rhyme or reason to their location. It felt as thought I was seeing only a small section of land in a much greater setting. I felt small.

"Since I can't get back to Destingaard through this gate," I said to myself, "then I might as well check things out."

I nodded to myself and walked by the water all the way down the peninsula and onto the larger stretch of land. The brittle grass crunched beneath my feet as I trudged forward, a constant worry at the back of my mind. Where exactly was this and how was I going to get back? Does this place have the answers I seek? With these thoughts I followed the ridge of a 10 foot high cliff and put my hand on the rock. I was rough yet had a glossy feel. It was almost like it wasn't rock at all. I rounded the cliff corner and came face to face with…something.

Whatever it was, it was in the shape of a human with its back turned to me. It looked to be a statue made completely of dark blue crystal highlighted with streaks of silver. It sparked as light hit it through the tumult of clouds. The figure was that of a tall, well defined man. He was encased in armor with sharp spines and ridges along the back of the calf, shoulders, and forearms. It wore a helmet in the shape of a dragon with long hair flowing out the back. The helmet obscured his face so I couldn't see his eyes. In its right hand was a wicked looking lance sharpened at both ends. It was quite menacing.

I stood still and stared at it wondering what to do. Stepping back, my feet crunched beneath the grass and the statue turned its head to look at me. I whipped my staff into a defensive position as the figure slowly turned and held his staff point at me. With one fluid motion, it leaped forward and crossed staffs with me. I parried its first attack with precision and whirled around to its back, but the crystal man quickly gained his footing and whipped the lance up. I deflected the attack but started losing ground as the man drove me back with his powerful attacks.

He suddenly leaped up into the air and began descending, picking up speed. I jumped back and narrowly avoided his lance impaling me. The shock from the landing caused me to lose my footing and I stumbled back. He took the chance to knock me off my feet with a well aimed swipe of his lance. As I fell to the ground, I put up a wind barrier which deflected the killing stroke to the side. He tried again with a more powerful attack.

My barrier shuttered and shattered, wind dispersing all around. The sudden gust of wind distracted the crystal figure enough for me to jump to my feet and add a bit of fire to the ends of my staff. I whirled it like the flames of hell and cracked him on the shoulder. His crystal armor cracked and a large chunk fell to the ground. I ducked below his sweeping attack and took out another chunk of armor at his hip. He moved forward with blazing speed and knocked me to the ground again.

I held up my staff preparing for the worse when a lance, similar to the crystal mans except it was made of steel, intercepted the attack and sent the crystal figure flying backward. I looked up to see a man who looked exactly like the crystal figure except his armor was violet with blue accents. It looked like the crystal figure was based off of this man. The man jumped in the air and smashed the crystal figure to shards on his way down. My eyes widened seeing him defeat the crystal man in one hit.

The man turned his gaze to me before walking over and offering his hand. I hesitantly took it and he pulled me to my feet. I lowered my staff but kept it ready, just in case he meant harm to me. Instead, he put his right hand over his breast and gave a slight bow.

"Queen Kailiana," he simply stated before erecting himself. I averted my eyes and blushed ever so slightly. I didn't even know him but he seemed to know me.

"If you know who I am, then you should know that I don't like formalities very much. I would appreciate it if you called me Kai."

"As you wish."

"Stop being so formal," I snapped, annoyed by the fact that he even knew me. "I'm grateful that you saved me but seriously, don't treat me that way. How do you even know me?"

"Cecil told me of his adventures, and of you."

My jaw dropped and I suddenly jumped forward. "You know Cecil? How is he? Is he doing well?"

The man stepped back as if startled. "He's doing well."

"That's good," I sighed. I always had worried what happened to the Warriors of Light after they left. I know they are strong, but that doesn't mean that something wouldn't have happened to them along the way.

"By the way," I started, redirecting my gaze towards him, "you seem to know me but I have no idea who you are."

"My name is Kain."

"May I ask what you are doing around here?"

"I could ask you the same question. Is there a reason you are away from your kingdom?"

I flushed feeling as though he accused me of being a poor leader. I responded hotly. "This was more of an accident than anything else and I hardly think it's any of _your_ business why I am here. Do you always answer a question with another question?"

"Hmpf," Kain noised, turning his head away slightly. "You are every bit as hot headed as Cecil described you."

"Did he now?" I responded, mentally putting Cecil on my lecture list. Hot headed am I? Well, I suppose that's a little true. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and briskly walked around Kain and along the shore towards the North. That seemed to be the direction in which the skies were darkest and the most interesting energy radiated from. I was going to check it out. I walked a few feet and looked back noticing Kain following me.

"Why are you following me?" I questioned, turning to face him.

"I was told by Cecil to accompany you if we ever crossed paths. He said you and your power are important enough to protect."

A vein throbbed in my head. "So Cecil is basically describing me as a glass flower that will break with the slightest jolt? That jackass."

"I simply believe he is worried about you, Kai. He is no way described you as fragile."

I averted my gaze realizing that I had jumped to conclusions. I turned and walked on.

"I suppose your right. Sorry." That last apology was difficult to eke out. It just felt strange that Cecil would talk so much about me and someone like Kain would show up. We walked for a few minutes in silence.

"I was expecting someone different," Kain said.

"How do you mean?"

"Cecil said you were gifted in magic, however, it seems as though you were having trouble with that manikin."

His initial slight was buried beneath my curiosity of the new term. "Manikin?"

"Yes," he continued. "That crystal figure I defeated was called a manikin. Puppets made of energy and crystal that takes on the shape of whoever the energy is stolen from."

"Where do they come from?"

"I know not. But it does seem that they arrived here from the North. Their numbers increase the further north one travels."

"What's up there? I don't even know where this is."

"The land we currently stand on is called the Overworld. A land created to connect several worlds together."

I slapped my hands together. "The arches must be gateways to different worlds then!"

"Correct."

My brain suddenly rewound to the beginning of the conversation. "What do you mean you were expecting someone different?"

"It seemed as though you were having trouble with your magic. I expected a more experienced mage when Cecil described the Wings of Fate to me."

I clenched my fists and practically growled. "I'm sorry to disappoint."

How the hell was it my fault that my power was on the fritz? Ever since I was crowned Queen, I haven't been able to control my magical power very well. I could perform simple spells and magic when it was attached to objects, but more complex spells usually went wrong with dire consequences. I once tried creating a water spell to water a section of farmland. The cloud formed and produced a rain of lightning instead of water that burned a section of the royal stables. I could have easily done that when I first received my power. From then on, I limited my spells to something less explosive.

"I meant nothing by my comment," Kain explained.

"Of course," I replied. I wanted to say 'if you didn't mean it, then why did it sound like you did' but I resisted. Instead, I trotted forward and arrived at an archway. It was exactly like mine expect at the top was a picture of a sphere surrounded by two circling lines of strange symbols. I studied the symbol as Kain came up and stood behind me.

"It seems we have arrived at the gate to another world."

"So it seems. Do you know which?"

"I only know the symbol to my world. I hardly have the time to memorize all the symbols of the worlds."

"It was only a question." I began tracing the intricate, swirling design along the side of the arch with my finger when the gate suddenly glowed a brilliant blue. The color swirled and centralized into a circle in the middle of the arch before fading to a red color. The circle almost looked like a red lace doily I would find on my grandmother's kitchen table. It was rather pretty.

"Interesting," Kain commented. "It seems as though the gate reacted to your touch."

I frowned. "It probably reacted to the Wings of Fate. Not me."

"Aren't they the same thing?" Kain asked with a puzzled look.

I shrugged an answer. I wasn't so sure the Wings and I were one in the same. The power just felt different. Almost alien. I never felt like it truly belonged with me.

"_Can you not see why it fails you?"_ A voice asked.

I whipped around and looked for the person who said it. The only one I saw nearby was Kain.

"What is it?" He questioned.

I looked around for a second more before answering. He obviously didn't hear what I heard. "It's nothing."

I turned towards the gate and gently touched the red swirl of energy with my right hand. It easily passed through and I didn't see it come out the other side. With an intake of breath, I pushed the rest of my arm through. There was a slight pulling feeling and the gate sucked me in. I suppressed a noise of surprise as I realized that this was exactly what it looked like when I came from Destingaard to the Overworld. I traveled through a swirling vortex of shimmering color. It was easier to keep my balance in the void this time because I had already experienced it once. Leaning forward, I gathered speed until I saw a swirl of red energy exactly like the entrance to the gate. I pulled myself back and passed through the gate with only slight resistance.

I landed on solid earth and looked behind me to see a door set in rock just like the Destingaard door. The rock glowed a pinkish color and I moved to the side to let Kain pass through. He melted through the rock and landed on the ground without instance. Turning from the door, I noticed that we stood upon a beach underneath a beautiful blue sky. Clouds lazily drifted across the sky and the sparkling ocean quietly lapped against the shore leaving shells resting on the sand. Beyond the beach was a forest of tropical trees, bushes, and all assortment of vegetation. The land climbed higher to rolling hills and shallow cliffs topped with tall palm trees. It was all rather relaxing.

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply taking in the smells of salt and brine. It was so warm here that I almost felt like I was drinking the air. It was so different from Destingaard. My reverie was interrupted when something smacked me in the face and knocked me off my feet. I felt Kain catch me and stand me straight. He chuckled slightly. I grabbed the ball before it fell to the ground and searched for the bastard who threw it.

"Sorry," a guy called, running over and waving. My eyes widened when I realized who it was.

"Tidus, you _idiot_!" I yelled, heaving the ball at him. He faltered and groaned as the ball crashed into his stomach. Recovering quickly, his face broke into a broad grin.

"Kai! I can't believe you're here! How are you? How did you even get here?" Tidus spout out a waterfall of questions as he stopped in front of me. He hopped from foot to foot and fiddled with the blitzball the entire time.

"You're lucky you didn't give me a nosebleed!"

"I said sorry."

I growled and pinched the bridge of my nose. I could feel a headache blossoming from the point of contact. Tidus suddenly punted the ball to a group of people down the beach and picked me up in a big bear hug. I giggled involuntarily and he put me down with a smile.

"It's really good to see you, Tidus," I grinned.

"And look at you, I hardly recognized you."

"You're the weird one for not changing at all. Seriously, has it been two years?"

He grinned and looked past me. "Kain, what are you doing here? Is something going on?"

"Have you not had any disturbances recently?"

"Nope. Everything's been calm. Why, what's going on?"

"Weird shit," I responded. "It's actually an unpleasant thought that we only met because something bad is happening."

"What's happening? Seriously, tell me." Tidus furrowed his eyebrows and gave me a look I've never seen him wear before. Our little meeting ended when a tall, muscled man ran up to us. His orange hair looped into a curly cue in front and was held up by a blue band of cloth. He wore quite a bit of canary yellow from his pants to his shirt that looked like the top to a pair of overalls. There was an impressive arm guard climbing up his left arm that protected everything from his wrist to his shoulder.

"Yo, Tidus! We have problem!" He yelled, skidding to a halt.

"Hey, Wakka. I'd like you to meet Kai, that girl I was telling you about."

Wakka looked me top to bottom. "Ah! I didn't know if I'd ever meet this girl he was talking about. He seriously wouldn't stop blathering about it for months, ya?"

I raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"I didn't blather!" Tidus exclaimed.

"Uh, guys," I interjected before this conversation got off topic, "he said there was a problem?"

"Oh right," Wakka said. "We can't find Yuna anywhere."

"What!" Tidus practically screamed. "Where was she last? How could she just disappear?"

"She went down to the cloister of trials with Lulu, Auron, and Kimari. I didn't hear much, but something happened down there."

"Kai, I have to go find Yuna!" Tidus said distraughtly.

I nodded. I had no idea who this Yuna person was, but she seemed very important to Tidus. "Yeah. I'll go with you. The more people we have the better chance of finding her."

Tidus and Wakka led the way as Kain and I brought up the rear. We dashed down the beach and whizzed by several people who were in the same get-up as Wakka. I figured they must all be part of a blitzball team because each person was practicing with a ball. We passed through what seemed to be the ruins of crumbling building. Trees and vines wound their way around the stones so everything was half obscured by the landscape.

We trotted down a forest path before crossing wooden plank bridges spanning waterfalls. The crashing noise made my ears hurt and I briefly wondered if Kain would rust if his armor got too wet. Pushing the thought aside, I followed the dirt path around some tall hills before the landscape finally opened up to reveal a small village. There was a circle of rounded wooden huts covered in a variety of colored cloth. People in colorful islander clothing meandered around talking, laughing, and exchanging goods. Several people sat outside with looms and made festive clothing.

North of the houses, there sat a huge temple. Two rows of columns lead to the doors of the temple and there was a ceiling that looked like a gigantic sea shell held up by massive arching beams. It was all rather beautiful. Just as we reached the entrance to the village, Wakka skidded to a halt. Tidus complained loudly as he almost crashed into Wakka.

"What gives?" Tidus asked.

"We need to be calm through the village. Nobody but us knows about Yuna."

As we entered the village at a casual walk, I noticed everyone looking at Kain and me. I know in small villages that everybody knows everyone else and if someone strange enters it's a spectacle, but it doesn't make the feeling any more comfortable. My back stiffened as people started to whisper around us. Kain suddenly appeared beside me and thumped his hand on my shoulder. It wasn't much, but it helped a little.

"Tidus," I said. "Who is Yuna? She seems very important the way you talk about her."

"Yuna is the summoner of this island," he replied, his voice only loud enough for our little group to hear. "She is very important here because she can summon creatures to protect the village. Wakka and I, along with a few other people, are her guardians so it's really bad news if something happened to her."

I nodded and walked a bit closer to Kain. The looks I was getter were starting to annoy me. We made it through the village quickly enough and walked between the rows of pillars to enter the temple. The inside of the temple was dark and open. The ceiling reached dozens of feet into the air and the only light in the temple were from the pots of burning coal and hundreds of lit candles circling the walls of the temple. Oversized statues of men were placed every several feet each in robes or armor. The whole place was kind of dreary and depressing.

Priests in white robes offset with colored decorations walked around with their hands clasped behind their backs. Villagers knelt in various places from the statues to the candles and knelt, performing some sort of ritualistic hand gesture and bowing. There were several doors leading to different rooms throughout the temple, but there was only one staircase. It lead up to a platform which lead to a big pair of doors.

"Tidus, Wakka, what brings you here?" A priest inquired, walking up to our little group. He looked to Kain and me with interest but didn't say anything.

"We require access to the cloister of trials," Wakka began. "We would like to check on Yuna."

"Several of her guardians are already down there. I hardly think two more would make a difference."

"Be that as it may," Tidus interjected. "We would still like to go."

The priest hummed disapprovingly before changing the subject. "Who are your guests?"

"Some friends I met a while back," Tidus supplied.

"They wear strange clothing and armor. It seems unnatural."

I narrowed my eyes and Kain looked away with a 'humpf.'

"I can hear you, ya know," I said rather aggressively. "And from where I'm standing, you're the one who is dressed strangely."

"How rude!" The priest exclaimed.

I sighed and shook my head. This guy reminded me of Aidric to an extent.

"Please forgive her, sir," Wakka quickly said, trying to smooth things over.

"I don't need people apologizing for me," I retorted. "The point is that we are here with Tidus and Wakka."

"I don't feel it necessary for you two going down to the cloister of trials," the priest said, pointing to Tidus and Wakka. "And if you two can't behave yourselves, I feel it is time for you to leave," he practically hissed at Kain and me.

"I promised Tidus I would go see Yuna with him and I intend to keep that promise whether you are happy about it or not," I replied hotly. Spotting the doors, I coolly walked up the staircase.

"You can't go up there!" The priest yelled, running towards me. Kain grabbed him by the shoulder and hauled him backwards. With a stare that I could only imagine was frightening, he followed me to the doors.

"This isn't good, ya?" Wakka said, coming up behind us. When Tidus finally walked up the stairs, I opened the door and found myself in a room with a large round symbol on the floor.

"Ya know," Wakka began, standing in the middle of the circle, "you remind me of Tidus in a lot of ways. He doesn't listen to people either."

Tidus and I looked to each other before pointing to one another.

"We really aren't _that_ alike," we said in unison.

With a slight chuckle, Kain walked onto the symbol to stand next to Wakka. Tidus and I brought up the rear. As soon as we were all on the symbol, the floor shook rather violently and the symbol glowed bright white. With a shudder, the section of floor with the symbol started to move down like an elevator. I brushed my fingers against the stone as we descended into the earth. It was surprisingly smooth from centuries of use. The floor kept descending until we apparently hit the bottom. The hole that we were going down opened up to reveal a long hallway. I couldn't see past about 20 feet because it took a corner. The floor had a strange pulsing tendril of light running through the middle of it and the walls glowed brightly with strange symbols. They were very fluid and reminded me of a cross between hieroglyphics and Japanese kanji.

"This is the Cloister of Trials," Wakka commented, walking slowly down the hall. We all followed his example.

"Summoners come down here to pray to the fayth to obtain their aeons," he continued.

"Fayths? Aeons? You're not making much sense," I protested.

"Aeons are the beasts that summoners are able to summon," Tidus interjected. "The fayth are spirits that allow the summoners to summon their aeons."

"Interesting sorcery you have in this world," Kain commented. "Gathering your power from spirits."

"Hmmm, if Yuna is down here then I'm guessing she's a summoner?" I questioned.

"Right. She's the daughter of a famous summoner who brought peace to Spira 10 years ago."

We rounded a corner and stopped dead in our tracks. The blue green light that ran through the floor suddenly dimmed and changed to dark gray and black. A spider web of obsidian color snaked its way across the floor and climbed the walls to hang on the ceiling. The entire hallway gave off a menacing black and midnight blue color. The whole room pulsed like a sleeping dragon. It felt as if I woke the room, it would eat me.

"Yuna!" Wakka exclaimed, taking off down the hall.

"Yuna!" Tidus repeated, running after him. Kain and I started after them, but skidded to a halt when the right wall shuddered and sprung alive to join to the left wall. I threw out my hand to prevent myself from running into the newly formed dead end.

"Great," I said sarcastically, kicking the wall. "The only two people who knew how to get out of here are now gone."

"We will just have to find a way out ourselves," Kain responded, looking around for some clue to getting out of here.

I sighed and turned back toward the wall. I noticed an indent in the wall. It seemed as though something the size and shape of an orange could fit in it. I ran my fingers over it and noticed small etched lines trailing out of it and along the wall. They joined with similar lines on the floor.

"Kain, do you see anything the size of an orange laying around?" I questioned, still examining the indentation.

"What do you see?" He responded, coming over and taking a look at the wall.

"I have no idea."

Kain walked back down the hall and returned a few seconds later with a glowing green orb. Light in the shape of the strange glyphs I saw on the wall danced around the orb like playful birds. It was very pretty. He held out the orb and I took it. Turning to the wall, I placed the orb in the indentation. The orb seemed to come alive. Electric blue and green color sparked from the wall and flowed into the lines of the wall. It traveled from the wall, through the floor, and to the adjacent wall on the left. With a shudder, the stone glowed and vanished leaving a space the size of a door.

"That was unexpected," I commented, standing up and looking to Kain.

"Unexpected indeed. This Cloister of Trials holds many surprises," he responded.

With a shrug, he walked forward through the doorway only to stop before another wall. I squeezed in behind him and noticed it was simply a ten foot by ten foot room encased in the dark tendrils. The electric light that flowed from the orb outside dulled as it passed into the room until it joined the web of dark light. However, it was different in here. It wasn't so dark and the midnight blue hue of the light threads changed to a slightly lighter shade. Another indentation rested in one of the walls.

"Are you kidding me?" I exclaimed, poking the indentation with annoyance.

"It seems as though we will have to find another orb," Kain suggested.

"How about I just smash through this stupid wall? It'll be faster."

"It may bring the whole temple down on our heads. We don't know how stable the ground it above us."

I crossed my arms and cocked my head in thought. "Good point."

Kain gave me a look that made my face heat in anger.

"You got something to say?" I demanded.

"Not at all. I merely observed that you should think your thoughts through before putting them to action."

"Amazingly enough, it's not the first time I've heard that."

He nodded as if not surprised and left the room. He returned moments later with another orb. It was violet this time and gave off a shine the color of amethyst.

"Where the heck do you find these things?" I asked, inserting it into the indentation. Purple light flowed into the lines of the wall and ran to the adjacent wall on the left. The stones glowed like last time and vanished to reveal another small room. I poked my head in to see a chest adorning the floor on the far side of the room.

"They are sitting in holes in the wall. There is one more." Kain held out his hand to produce a sky blue orb with glyphs floating around it. I took it from his hand and looked at it. As I was turning the orb around in my hands, Kain walked over to the chest and opened it. He returned carrying a simple silver band. He promptly grasped my left hand and slid the ring onto my fourth finger. I arched my eyebrow.

"Are you asking me to marry you?"

Kain gave me a quizzical look. "I am merely giving this protective ring to you. It will deflect the damage given by minor spells and attacks."

"I knew that."

"There was no indentation in that room," Kain continued, sliding over this embarrassing moment.

"Then where does this orb go?"

As soon as Kain left the room, I removed the violet orb from its socket. The open doorway glowed and was replaced by solid stone again. I then put in the blue orb. It flashed brilliantly and flooded the walls with an assortment of blue light. It traveled across the dark thread and lightened them as it traveled to the right and created an open doorway on the far right wall.

I shrugged and followed the light through the doorway and down the newly discovered hallway. The web of dark threads gradually lightened to a sea blue and finally to a bright ice blue as Kain and I walked further down the hall. It suddenly opened up to vast domed room. Glyphs were carved into the walls and ceiling with the precision only a master craftsman could have. The room tapered off at the edges and fell to a deep chasm glowing with faint blue light. There was a staircase across the room leading up to another mysterious door.

The amazing part was a giant nine foot tall ice blue crystal jutting out of the middle of the floor. Wakka, Tidus, and several other people I didn't recognize stood warily around the crystal. No one seemed to want to get too close to it.

"Hey!" Tidus called, waving us over. "We lost you back there."

We walked over and I resisted the urge to smack the back of his head.

"It would be wise for you not to rush on ahead next time," Kain began. "It is dangerous and gives the ones left behind problems."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

I sighed. It was hard to stay mad at Tidus when he was so happy all the time. Instead, I walked over to the crystal and examined it.

"Who are you?" A woman with long black hair asked. She wore a floor length black dress with belt criss-crossing on the front from her upper thighs on downward. She held a stuffed Moodle in her arms.

"A friend of Tidus," I replied, giving her a minimal answer on purpose.

"What are you doing here?" A giant blue, seven foot tall biped cat man said. He stalked toward me, lance in hand, with a none-too-friendly look. I scooted backward and bumped right into Kain. He pushed me behind him and stood before the humanoid, lance in an aggressively defensive position.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Tidus exclaimed, running in between the two and putting his hands out. "We're all friends here, right?"

"As long as nobody attacks me," I responded.

"Wakka," the woman chastised. "You know you can't bring strangers down here. I remember you making that mistake with Tidus."

"Yeah?" Wakka replied. "Well, since they are Tidus' friends and they heard about Yuna, they wanted to help. I couldn't just say no."

"It's always the same with you, Wakka. You can't keep breaking tradition."

"If I may interject here?" I said, a little louder than I wanted. Everyone turned to face me. "As it seems a matter of urgency, where _is_ Yuna?"

The woman looked me up and down before answering. "Yuna came here to pray to the fayth and found this crystal instead. Curious, she touched the crystal and suddenly vanished. We tried to follow her, but whenever we touch the crystal nothing happens."

"That's weird," I commented, reaching out and touching the crystal myself.

A blinding light flooded the room and a sudden force gripped around the waist pulling me towards the crystal. Kain and Tidus yelled in alarm and tried to reach out to me, but the crystal sucked me in before they could. I choked back a gasp as an energy vortex enveloped my body and sent me spinning into the unknown.


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is a bit short, but I felt like it was a good place to stop. I'll try my hardest to update more often. Life can get a bit hectic and I feel like all my professors are on a personal vendetta to make my last few weeks at school a nightmare. I love my professors, but they can be downright evil sometimes. Anyway, please enjoy and comment if it tickles your fancy.****  
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Chapter 3

"Why does it all look the same?" I questioned, racing down another vortex highway exactly like the one that took me out of Destingaard and brought me to Spira. I crossed my arms in thought and let myself be taken with the current.

"I suppose this place would be the 'in between' or something like that. Maybe all worlds are connected by these vortexes of energy. And why the hell am I talking to myself!" I yelled knocking myself on the head with my fist.

I grumbled at myself and performed a couple of acrobatic flips before righting myself and gazing at the sides of the vortex. It was actually very pretty with the swirling colors and sparks of light that constantly moved like the sun glinting off a crystal. I couldn't see anything past the whirlwind of energy and light, though. What was beyond the wind?

Curiosity getting the better of me, I reached out my hand and gently brushed the side of the vortex. Rainbow light swirled around my fingertips like mist on a foggy morning. I pushed slightly harder and my hand went outside the vortex. Before I could even gasp, I was sucked out of the vortex arm first. It was like someone snuffed out the candle of the world. I tumbled through pitch darkness with no knowledge of where I was going. I couldn't even tell if I was falling up, down, or sideways. It might have been sideways with the motion sickness I was feeling. I closed my eyes and curled up in a ball to protect myself.

"_I cannot believe the actions you choose to take. Only a fool sticks their hand out of the connection between worlds."_

I groaned in response. "I don't know who or where you are but get out of my head. What is going on?"

"_Answers will come when you are ready."_

"Like I haven't heard that one before!"

My back flashed with searing pain as white-blue light filled the endless void. Suddenly, I was out of the darkness and falling from the sky down to the Overworld. I crossed my arms over my head and managed to spin a bit of wind around my body before I crashed into the side of a crystal wall. I rolled down the crystal feeling every jagged spike along the way. The wind protected me from injury but not from the pain. I bounced from the wall and smashed into the barren ground side first. Crying a shriek of pain, I huddled on the ground panting and shivering. It was several minutes before the haze in my mind lifted and I could form a coherent thought.

"Sure, now my power worked just enough to prevent me from being killed," I wheezed, uncurling very slowly and wincing at every bruised muscle. I attempted to stand only for my arms and legs to give out and send me back to the ground.

"Shit," I mumbled, trying again and failing. I gave up and rolled onto my back spreading my arms out. I gazed at the sky. It was a swirling mass of grey, red, and violet like three siblings fighting over the last slice of chocolate cake. The sky looked pissed. My eyes drooped as a breeze danced through the valley tickling my face. I closed my eyes and imagined I was back home lying on the grass with Tré, Zack, and Thane just staring at the clouds and laughing. The memory carried my conscious on the wind dancing along the way.

A sound drifted into my mind. It was a tiny buzz like the vibrator setting on a cell phone. I tried to ignore it, but the buzz only got more persistent. With a slight sigh, I lifted my eye lids. They felt like great chunks of lead. A few feet above my face, staring me in the eyes, was Firion. He was shaking my shoulder earnestly with a look of worry.

"Firion!" I gasped, jolting to my feet and completely ignoring the fact that I had rolled down a mountain recently. My legs gave a sudden jiggle before going out from under me. I crashed to the ground in the most unelegant manner.

"Crap, I forgot about that," I said, only increasing Firion's look of worry.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Firion helped me to sit up and I resisted the urge to hug him so hard his innards would pop out.

"Arrhg!" I suddenly exclaimed causing Firion to jolt back in surprise. "What hasn't happened? I was traveling in Destingaard to find some mysterious door when we were attacks by flying lizards and I fell through a gateway which took me here to the Overworld. I was attacked by weird crystal manikins and Kain saved me but we went through another gateway that was connected to Spira. I met Tidus but only long enough to go through the Cloister of Trials and touch a freaky glowing crystal and then I was flying through the energy vortexes that connect worlds but I stuck my hand out and got sucked into a void of nothingness. Then I fell from the sky and rolled down a mountain!"

I said this all in one breath and would be extremely surprised if Firion even caught a word of it.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm sorry, but could you repeat that a little slower."

I spent the next half hour explaining everything that had happened in the past two years up to the point where I decided to slide down a mountainside without a toboggan. As I talked, I stretched my muscles in every which way I could think of to get them to obey my commands without complaining. Firion sat there quietly occasionally asking a question or two. I heaved a heavy sigh at the end of my spiel and leaned back.

"It sounds like things have been rough for you," Firion commented.

"Eh, could be worse. I'm just glad I met you here instead of one of those crystal manikins."

"I guess it's no surprise you would have an encounter or two with them. They seem to be crawling all over the Overworld."

"Bloody perfect. Another problem. Life doesn't seem to want to give me a break!"

Firion rubbed his chin lightly in thought. "Tell me more about the problems in your kingdom. I've never heard anything about strange weather patterns before."

"It's the weirdest thing! Everything was fine, then one day the seasons started to change abnormally. Summer lasted a month and winter lasted ten. One day we would have snow and the next it would melt in ninety degree heat. My people are starving because the crops are failing. I don't know what to do!" By this time, I was ready to burst into tears but be damned if I'd let Firion know that.

"Things seemed fine before and directly after your Coronation," Firion said. "When exactly did these weather changes start to occur?"

I crossed my arms in thought. "Well, I suppose it was half a year after being crowned. Come to think of it, that's the time when my powers started to act funny."

"You mean when you couldn't control them?"

"Rub it in why don't ya?"

Firion gave me an apologetic smile. I shrugged in response. He was right.

"But yes," I continued, "magic became very difficult. It's like there's a sea of power ready to use, but a dam is blocking it. I can only take from a trickling faucet. It's maddening! I still can't do anything right yet people are depending on me."

Firion smiled gently. "I guess it's difficult being Queen."

"Difficult is putting it lightly," I sighed, cupping my chin and resting my elbow on my knee. "I told them they had the wrong person."

"Do you really believe that?" Firion questioned, his eyebrows knitting together. "One cannot lead without the confidence to do so."

I resisted the urge to snap at him. Firion meant well, but he wasn't saying the right thing to cheer me up at the moment. Also, what he said bothered me. I was truly wondering if I had the right stuff to lead a kingdom. My self-confidence was high enough back home at college, but I wasn't sure if it was ruling class self-confidence. I may have been born a princess, but I grew up a middle-class popper.

"_And you wonder why your power has failed you,"_ a voice chimed. It was female with a rich body and light, musical tone. This was offset somewhat by the fact it was disapproving and cut to the quick with almost every comment.

I snapped my head up and scanned the sky quickly before whipping around in an attempt to locate the voice. Only Firion and I were here.

"What?" Firion asked concerned.

"You don't hear that?" I asked, my voice a little high pitched. He shook his head in response.

"_I was reluctant to give_ _you access in the first place, but it couldn't be helped. You weren't ready, but the situation called for the Wings of Fate to return."_

"Give me access?" I yelled, jumping to my feet and staying there through sheer force of will. "What do you mean 'give me access?' Like I wasn't supposed to have it in the first place?"

"_The power was always yours, however, the circumstances dictated special measures. You should never have received it until you knew more about your heritage. You were not ready. You may never have been ready."_

Firion grabbed my shoulders as I visibly shook with anger. My eyes narrowed to little slits and fists clenched so tightly I almost drew blood.

"Never have been ready?" I said in a deathly steady voice. "Never should have received?"

I knocked Firion's hands away and twirled around trying to find something to yell at. "You mean everything I've gone through, everybody I've helped, everything I've done never should have happened? Just who the hell are you to say something like that!"

"_I am Amana. The guardian of the Wings of Fate. I have been here, and will always be here, to ensure the safety of this power."_

"Be damned if _I_ know you!" I screamed, burying my face in my hands. I wouldn't believe that everything I've done was because of some accident or special measure. I was trying my hardest to be a good Queen and here this disembodied voice was saying it wasn't supposed to happen. I was never supposed to help my people? I may not have wanted the role to begin with, but it's my duty and I wasn't going to stop halfway through. I was a sore loser.

"Excuse me!" Firion suddenly yelled at the sky. "I don't exactly know what's going on, but who are you to say she shouldn't have received her power and helped her people. Without her, Garland and the others might have plunged the world into chaos several years ago. Kai seems to have saved a lot of people because of something she never should have had access to."

I raised my head in shock. Firion was trying to defend me even though he couldn't hear the voice or know what we were saying. He was only picking up half the conversation. He looked around with a hard expression like a teacher trying to find the school bully to tell him off.

"_This business is not yours, Warrior or Light,"_ Amana rumbled.

"He's my friend!" I retorted. "He helped me when I was plunged into a world I didn't know with powers I knew nothing about. You made it his business."

The voice sighed like it was trying to suppress its anger at a misbehaving child. I squatted down staring daggers into a large rock at my feet trying to sort out the jumble of thoughts I was having when something occurred to me.

"You're the one who is making it difficult to use my powers!" I exclaimed.

"_An unfortunate but necessary measure._"

"It's your fault I can't properly help my people! Why did you give me power then take it away?" I slammed my fist into the ground again and again trying to make sense of it all. Firion appeared beside me and grabbed my wrist before I could hit the ground again. Blood dripped from my torn knuckles as I started pounding my other fist into the ground.

"Kai!" He yelled, grabbing my other wrist. "You need to calm down. Tell me what you hear."

"I'm surprised you don't think I'm a nutcase. I'm hearing voices."

"You can be out there at times, but you aren't crazy."

I felt backward and sat my butt on the ground with Firion still holding my wrists. I took a deep breath and forced myself to relax. Firion let go and sat down opposite of me. He pulled out a small roll of bandages from a pouch at his belt and began to wrap my knuckles as I told him about Amana and everything she said thus far.

"We can't rush to hasty conclusion," he concluded as I finished my story. "Why was suppression a necessary measure?"

"_Kailiana may house the power, but I ultimately decide whether she is capable both physically and mentally of using it as has been my duty for every ancestor preceding her."_

"So because I grew up without knowing anything about my ancestry or power, I'm not mentally ready?" I asked, my voice becoming somewhat monotone.

"_Correct. I granted you access two years ago because of the villains who sought to take it for themselves. The only way to protect the Wings at that time was to let you protect it."_

"And you suddenly decided to take it all away even after I proved I could protect it? Isn't that cruel? Sounds like a mistake on your part."

"_It is no mistake, Princess. The people of Destingaard may view you as Queen, but I do not. Until you prove to me that you have the vigor and tenacity to truly rule Destingaard, the Wings will be suppressed. The only reason you have any control over the Wings is because the seal locking away the power was broken for you two years ago. I cannot completely mend what was broken."_

I gave the sky a murderous look and Firion turned questioning eyes towards me.

"This _guardian_," I spat, "is suppressing my powers because she is too engrossed in the tradition of our kingdom that she can't see what is plainly visible."

"You mean tradition is preventing her from allowing you to keep your power?" Firion asked, a bit confused.

"I've worked my butt off for two years protecting Destingaard and building it back up from tattered ruins. _Apparently_, that isn't good enough in the mind of an all powerful guardian to recognize me as Queen. Until she does, I'm stuck with limited access."

Firion gave a look of outrage. "Because you've deviated from tradition she won't let you use the Wings?"

"I'm risking my life to save Destingaard," I whispered to myself. "What more can I do to prove my determination?"

"_I do not doubt your determination, but are you doing everything for the right reason? A man can do a good deed for a selfish intent. What is your intent, Kailiana?"_

"_The only way to show you my intent is through action, right?" _I responded with my thoughts. "_Then watch me as I prove you wrong."_

I could almost see Amana shaking her head with the sigh she gave me. I pushed her out of my mind and looked to Firion.

"Nothing's changed. I'm still here to find out what's going on with my kingdom and Amana isn't going to stop me from doing it."

Firion smiled and gave me a slight nod.

"I wouldn't expect anything less," he responded.


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh man, tosillitis sucks. It's my first time having it and I hope to never get it again. I was so tired that I slept for a day and throat hurt so I only drank warm milk. At least it had honey in it *waggles eyebrows* Anyway, I'm a real jerk towards Kai sometimes. If she and I met, she would probably knock my teeth out or something. Please enjoy.**

Chapter 4

"First things first," Firion said, getting to his feet. "We need to find you some food."

"Food?" I responded. "I'm not that.." A loud growl echoed through the valley bouncing off the crystal mountains. I blushed slightly as Firion laughed.

"Come on." He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. "Arguing with an intangible ancestor would make anyone hungry."

My stomach released another grumble sounding like a mini-storm cloud.

"Shut up!" I growled, poking my stomach with a vengeance. "I don't care what you want. I order you to be quiet!"

Firion chuckled and I shot him a look.

"Quiet, man," I groaned, taking my hand back and removing the bandages from my knuckles. I rubbed my thumb over the fresh, smooth skin and resisted the urge to scratch it. New skin always itched.

"I'm always amazed at the healing powers the Wings give you," Firion commented, scanning the fields of waving grass for some small animal to sacrifice into a meal.

"At this point, so am I. I'm glad Amana couldn't totally cut me off. I get hurt too much to sacrifice the healing powers."

Firion gave a slight smile and looked forward. "I'll make sure you don't get hurt while I'm with you."

"I trip over flat ground. I'll marry you if you can cure my lack of coordination."

"It'll be a challenge, but I'll try."

I furrowed my eyebrows. I was making a joke but couldn't figure out if Firion was serious or not. Shrugging, I helped him look for anything edible. Several hours passed as we walked along the shore in search of lunch. The clear water lapped constantly at the tiny bits of crystal resting on the wet sand making them shine like diamonds. The waist length grass whispered in the breeze and the howl of the wind swirling through the mountains answered. I raised my eyes skyward to gaze at the angry sky churning dark gray, red, and violet into a mess of chaos.

"Firion," I suddenly said, breaking the oppressing silence. "Why are you here?"

"What do you mean?" He asked, looking at me quizzically.

"I'm here to find a cure to the plague of my kingdom. However, Tidus was safely playing blitzball back home. His world seemed peaceful. Since you're here in the Overworld, something must be happening in your home."

Firion followed my gaze to the sky. "I suppose there is."

We both stopped and just stared at the clouds wrapping around each other in an angry dance. It was several long moments later when he continued.

"A few months ago the Emperor reappeared."

I sucked in air between my teeth and whipped my around to face him. "What?"

"He suddenly was at the gate of my village. He brought an army of manikins with him and burned everything. Many of my friends and comrades were injured."

I clenched my fists and stared daggers into the ground. How did he escape my imprisonment? Did it have something to do with Amana sealing my powers? No. That didn't make sense. She gave them to me to defeat those seeking the Wings in the first place. Restricting the Wings and having them go free would be counter-productive. What happened a few months ago?

"I was sick!" I suddenly yelled.

"What?" Firion questioned, startled from my outburst.

"Oi! Amana!" I yelled to the sky. "Come out here. I need to speak with you."

"_There is no need to shout, Kailiana,"_ Amana replied, exasperated. _ " I am always here with you."_

"That's the part that kinda pisses me off," I replied mentally.

_"The answer to your epiphany is yes. Your sickness had something to do with the release of the wielders of chaos."_

"All of them? They're all out?"

_"Yes. You were about to die from that disease. I released the power of the Wings and focused much of the power on you. During the healing, the power delegated to other tasks across time and space dipped slightly. The wielders of chaos took that chance and escaped from their prisons of light."_

"Were you ever going to tell me this important tidbit of information? The demons I sealed away being on the loose seems like a bit deal to me!"

"_It was not prudent at that point in time. You had other worries, more important worries, to deal with inside the kingdom. If any were coming towards Destingaard, I would have notified you."_

"Sometimes I think you're just bullshitting me. I can't understand you and your warped sense of tradition and duty."

"_One reason why you are not yet ready to truly inherit the Wings. There is much for you to learn before such a large responsibility is to be placed on your shoulders."_

"What are you talking about?" Firion suddenly interjected, cutting off my conversation with Amana.

I snapped my head up to look at Firion with water clouding my sight. "When I was sick, Amana used the Wings to heal me. Apparently, she used so much power that the guys I sealed away broke free. Why didn't she tell me? If I'd known sooner, maybe I could have intercepted the Emperor before he attacked your home. Maybe.."

Firion suddenly grabbed me and hugged me tight. I was so stunned I couldn't think of what to do next. I finally raised my hands and gripped at the cloak on his back. His arms were warm and I suddenly felt safe even though sorrow and guilt threatened to tear me down. It seemed that everything bad happening around me was my fault.

"It's not your fault," he said, his voice low and soothing. "There was nothing you could do. Nothing I would have wanted you to do. It was my fault I couldn't protect my village. I wasn't strong enough."

"Shut up!" I suddenly yelled. "I don't want you to blame yourself."

"I don't want you to blame yourself either. Fate and what happened in the past. It is difficult to determine a true history. At this point, no blame should be placed. All that matters are the actions that we take from now on."

"You should write a self-help book," I said, pushing myself away and sniffling slightly. "Thanks."

Firion smiled at me and I almost melted into the ground. Damn it. This was no time to go weak in the knees. He was just a friend. An ally who helped me years ago. Why would I feel all squishy because he hugged me? I've never felt this way around guys before. What's so different about him?

"Such a touching reunion," a voice called, projecting from all directions. "I may even shed a tear."

Firion and I whirled around trying to determine the source of the. It was familiar. Too familiar. A voice I learned to hate.

"Emperor!" I yelled, too caught up in the moment to realize that he was playing me for a fool. I turned around one more time to find him standing right in front of me. I jumped back as Firion whipped out the sword at his belt and snaked it out in an attack. The Emperor lazily deflected it with his staff and glided back a pace or two.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," he smirked, that annoying haughty expression spread across his face.

"We were kinda in the middle of something," I retorted, pulling my staff from my back. "Would you mind buggering off?"

"Your tongue is as sharp as always I see."

"Emperor!" Firion cut in. He sheathed his sword in favor of his bow.

"Young Firion. I almost didn't notice you. How nice to see you again. Is Maria doing well? The last time I saw her she had an arrow in her gut."

"RAH!" He yelled, releasing an arrow and notching another one. Emperor easily deflected it and sent a ball of blue flame in return. Lightning quick, I send a small stream of power down the shaft of my staff. The three parts detached from each other and, held together by the power stream, formed a make-shift bow. I connected the power at the top and bottom to create a string and notched my bow with a thin arrow made of lightning. With an unsaid order, Firion and I released our arrows at the same time through the center of the blue flame. It exploded on contact sending scraps of power in all directions. Firion grabbed my hand and bolted off in the opposite direction.

"What are you doing?" I yelled, having trouble keeping up. My legs felt heavier than normal.

"Making a tactical retreat," Firion replied. "We don't have the strength to beat him at the moment."

I gritted my teeth and followed as best I could with the Emperor's laugh echoing behind us.

"It is foolish to flee," the Emperor said, his voice coming closer. "Where will you go? Your enemies are everywhere."

I crashed into Firion as he abruptly stopped. He stretched out his arm in a protective stance as I looked around him to see an army of crystal manikins waiting for us.

"Shit," I said, retracting the power from my bow-staff and connecting the pieces back together into a single unit. "He wasn't kidding."

"The Emperor usually doesn't," Firion answered, notching another arrow. I counted at least a dozen crystal solders in front of us not to mention the Emperor directly behind. Gripping my staff with white knuckles, my mind raced to figure out an escape route. Nothing came directly to mind.

"Poor little sheep surrounded my wolves," the Emperor practically sang. "Whatever will you do? The most prudent thing to do would be to submit to me."

"Not bloody likely," I growled, bringing myself up to Firion's side.

"The most prudent thing to do would be to unleash a meteor attack and char these manikins to dust," I mentally muttered. "But someone is making that rather difficult."

Silence was my answer.

"We shall see," the Emperor said with a smirk before waving his wand and conjuring up and funny symbol of light on the ground. With a yell, Firion grabbed my arm and pushed me out of the way. The light symbol slid across the ground to land directly under Firion. It arced tendrils of lightning that coursed through Firion's body. He cried out in agony and fell to the ground in an unmoving heap.

"Firion!" I screamed, releasing a blast of wind that pushed the Emperor back several feet and running to Firion's side. He groaned slightly and sat up, clutching his head and giving me a slight smile.

"Dammit! Don't scare me like that," I said, pulling Firion to his feet.

"Sorry," Firion apologized. "If you don't mind, I want to take him on."

"Not at all."

I stood at Firion's back, he facing the Emperor and me facing the manikins. With a yell, I ran toward the manikin's full speed. I coated my staff in a thin layer of fire and laid into them with pent-up frustration. One went down as I smashed in its head. I shattered another's sword before whipping the staff up and breaking his jaw. Thrusting the staff behind me, I caught one in the stomach and planted my feet before picking him up and sending him flying into three of his companions. I deflected an incoming attack before releasing a torrent of wind that knocked the rest of my foes off their feet.

Looking back, I saw Firion clashing ferociously with the Emperor. Each gave blows and each received them. The Emperor fought with his mouth set in a grim line and Firion fought with unbridled determination to kick his ass. I turned back to my fight to find a manikin right in front of me. His sword was lifted above his head ready to be brought down on mine. I brought up my staff to block it and kicked him in the gut. It let out a metallic sort of groan before I impaled his neck with my staff.

I let out a quick breath before scanning for my next opponent. I spotted a manikin turn tail and run down a trail with high walls of crystal on both sides. Running after him, I saw him turn a corner and disappear. As I rounded the corner, a purple arrow streaked across my vision. It caught my left forearm and impaled it, jerking me back and pinning me to the crystal wall behind me. I screamed as a wave of red clouded my vision briefly.

"Such a soft Queen we have," a voice said coyly. I looked up to see Ultimecia slowly walking toward me, the manikin following behind like a puppy. "So easy to hurt you through this useless piece of protection."

She was right. The vambrace of boiled leather gave me little protection against the slice of her arrows. I gripped the end of the arrow and pulled. A wave of nausea rolled over me as I pulled it out and threw it away. Breathing heavily, I gripped my staff tighter and brought it up for an attack. Ultimecia released two more arrows. One drove another hole through my left forearm and the other passed through my right. I dropped my staff as the two arrows pinned me to the wall again. However, this time they were deeper and held me tighter. A haze settled over my vision as Ultimecia came closer. She grabbed my chin and jerked my face up to meet hers.

"Such a pitiful child," she mused, tossing my face away. "Giving up before the fight has barely begun? I'm surprised you protected you kingdom for as long as you have."

"Kept you locked away, didn't I?" I chuckled, trying to pull my arms free only for a wave of sickness to stop me in my tracks.

"You did nothing," She sneered, whipping an arrow and impaling my left thigh. I screamed and tried not to pass out.

"You are nothing!" She cried, sending another arrow through my right thigh. "You're helpless without this little power of yours. You have nothing!"

"Oh, yeah?" A voice chimed from the right. I looked up, blinking just enough to clear my clouded eyes, to see a little blonde something zip across my field of vision. A knife sliced open Ultimecia's shoulder and she retreated back a few yards with a screech.

"Zidane!" I choked, once again trying to gather the will power to tear my arms through the arrows. I stopped my pathetic efforts when I was on the verge of vomiting. I bowed my head to catch my breath before looking up into a pair of misty grey eyes.

"Bartz!" I gasped, jerking back only to cause little tendrils of agony to shoot through all four of my limbs.

"Oh my God, Kai!" He replied, concern and surprise etched on his face. "That has to hurt."

"No shit," I growled, not in the mood to coddle his carefree attitude. "Can you take these damn things out?"

"Yeah. Brace yourself. It's gonna hurt."

"It already hurts."

Little black fuzzies where swarming my vision now. A sure sign I was going to pass out any moment. Bartz looked back to see Zidane keeping Ultimecia busy before grasping my right forearm directly beneath the arrow. He held it tight, grabbed the shaft of the arrow, and with an apology ripped it cleanly backward out of my arm. I threw my head back and slammed it against the crystal wall. The pain that blossomed from my skull dulled the pain felt in my arm.

"Again!" I yelled.

Bartz repeated the process with my left arm. I fell forward and gripped Bartz's shoulders for support as I heaved every breath I took. He gave me a look of concern before kneeling down and tearing out both arrows in my legs at once. I crumpled to the ground in an inelegant manner shivering and panting. I heard Bartz say something, but was too out of it to register any coherent words. He sat me up and leaned my back against the crystal wall. I sighed and closed my eyes content to wallow in my sea of pain and let the Wings do their job.

"_You cannot always rely on this power, Kailiana,"_ Amana scolded.

I was too tired and angry at her to give a response and instead focused a bit more power into the gaping holes in my flesh. I felt the muscles knit back together and the skin grow closed before breaking stream of power. The little effort it took to heal the flesh wounds made me extremely tired. More than it should have. Everything still hurt, but at least I wasn't bleeding all over the ground anymore.

* * *

><p>"Kai," someone said, grabbing my shoulder lightly and shaking it. "Kai, wake up."<p>

I peeled open my eyes to see three pairs looking into them.

"Where are the Emperor and Ultimecia?" I asked, my words slurring a little more than I would have liked.

"Gone," Firion replied, unlacing my vambraces to check my arms.

"Are you guys okay?"

"Us okay?" Bartz said, taken aback. "We should be asking if you're okay. I found you pinned to a wall!"

"Ahck. It was only four holes."

Zidane laughed at my comment. "Most people could stand one hole through their arm."

I looked down to see a pink spot the size of a nickel where each arrow punctured my skin. It looked clean but hurt a lot. Firion checked my legs before leaning in and touching his forehead to mine. I went a little rigid and averted my gaze when he got so close.

"You don't have a fever and your wounds seemed to have closed up nicely," Firion commented, leaning back and sighing. "You had me worried when you didn't wake up the first time I called you."

"Tired."

Firion chuckled. "No wonder there. I'm just surprised that Ultimecia had the chance to do that in the first place."

"She ambushed me. I was being too reckless and her too sneaky."

"Whoa! She actually admitted it," Bartz teased.

"Shaddup, mime," I retorted. "How did your battle with the Emperor go?"

"Not too bad," Firion said, grabbing me under both arms and gently hoisting me up. I leaned against the wall for support. "A few scratches, but I'll live."

"I'm not worried about the physical damage. He has a wicked tongue and the mental damage is usually higher."

"I'm used to his mind tricks." Firion turned around and scooped me onto his back. I would complain about being treated like a child, but at this point in time it was nice not having to walk of my own steam power. I clasped my wrists gently and laid my head on his shoulder.

"Looks like she's getting comfortable there," Zidane jibbed.

"Better than your scrawny shoulder," I replied lazily. Bartz and Zidane then chatted away like little birds as the three warriors walked out of the crystal valley and back into open land. I listened to the breeze rustling the grass and reveled in the serenity after a fight. It was peaceful yet haunting. Everything was a bit too quiet. Any creatures had fled from the fight leaving the area eerie and disheartening. At least the three guys filled the void.

"Uh Oh," Bartz said.

I opened my eyes and looked forward to see the land just stop. We were standing on the edge of a cliff with a sheer drop down to the lake below. Our destination, the next strip of land to the North, lay thousands of feet away.

"How are we ever going to cross it?" I asked, still in disbelief that it was such a distance to travel. Our woe was cut off when the whir of giant propellers accompanied by a sudden gust of wind made us look to the sky. A gigantic airship hovered a few hundred feet above and descended in a slow and dramatic fashion. It held steady just at the edge of the cliff as a familiar man walked to the edge of the railing.

"It looks like someone could use a hand."


End file.
